We at Gunaxin have been profiling some of the best young actresses working in entertainment today. We started with the Top Ten Young Actresses, examining the best under thirty talent in the industry. People were familiar with many of the names on that list, as to be expected with great young talent. So to complement that post, we created our Top Ten Up and Coming Actresses to look at actresses on the cusp of stardom. The idea was to give people a heads up on some of the stars of tomorrow and give them some names they might not be familiar with.

Throughout our examination, however, we’ve overlooked one large segment of the industry, a medium where a ton of talented young actresses work. That medium is television. Due to grueling schedules and timing of filming a TV series, most actresses don’t have the time to fit much feature film work in, let alone find that right movie to break out in. With a lack of feature film work, we ended up excluding many great names from our other two posts.

Now is the time for those television actresses to get their recognition. We think the following dozen actresses have all the necessary talent to do even greater work than they’re doing now. And by that we mean moving over to do feature film work. Not that there’s anything wrong with television work. If anything, TV is at its creative peak, allowing for fantastic shows like Mad Men, Lost, Dexter, The Tudors, and many others. We’re not trying to insult television work. Yet we recognize that movies remain the pinnacle of the entertainment industry.  You see people leave television shows to do feature films, recent examples include Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Biel, and Jessica Alba. You don’t see it the other way around, unless someone needs the work. Movies seem to be where the big money and fame is located, and the top actresses gravitate to that medium.

Of all the ladies currently working in television, we feel these twelve have the potential to do that something more. Please note, that if you’re looking for Amanda Seyfried, currently on HBO’s Big Love, we already profiled over here and decided not to include her again and be repetitive. So here are our Destined Dozen:

12. Evangeline Lilly

Ranking Lilly on a list like this is difficult. She has the talent and looks to be ranked much higher, but does she have the ambition? People around her have noted her desire for privacy and the fact that she does not seek the limelight. In fact, she has stated that she lives in a “bubble”, and that she is not familiar with pop culture nor does she own a TV.  With Lost in its final few seasons, will we see Lilly move on to major motion pictures or will she fade from the public eye? Time will have to tell on that one. But until her future becomes more certain, we’ll keep her a little farther down this list than she could otherwise rank.

Major Television Roles: Lost, Kate Austen (2004-present)

Select Filmography: Lilly’s movie roles to date have amounted to little more than scenery. Lost was her first speaking role, although she does appear in the French-Canadian psychological thriller Afterwards which is currently being released around the world.

Upcoming Project: The Hurt Locker, an intense portrayal of a bomb squad that must disarm bombs in the heat of combat.

11. Missy Peregrym

This Canadian actress and former fashion model began modeling at the age of eighteen. The modeling career opened doorways to appear in commercials and later a number of television guest spots. A self described tomboy, she was heavily involved in high school athletics, including soccer, snowboarding, basketball, and other assorted outdoor sports. The athleticism came in handy for her first film role, as it required a working knowledge of gymnastics. She broke through at the age of twenty-five with a reoccurring role on Season 2 of Heroes, and was subsequently cast as the female lead in the CW’s fantasy drama Reaper. Peregrym is at the beginning of what could be a very successful career.

Major Television Roles: Heroes, Candice Wilmer (2007); Reaper, Andi Prendergast (2007-present)

Select Filmography: Although Peregrym appeared in an uncredited role in the bomb Catwoman, she effectively made her film debut playing the lead in Stick It, a movie about a rebellious teenager who is forced to return to her former life in gymnastics.

Upcoming Project: None currently scheduled.

Continue reading for the top 10……

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